Mohammad Rizwan will finish the 2025 Caribbean Premier League with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots after agreeing to replace Afghanistan quick Fazalhaq Farooqi, who is leaving for national duty ahead of next week’s UAE tri-series. League officials are expected to rubber-stamp the paperwork within a day.
Whether the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter features in Thursday’s meeting with Barbados Royals is still uncertain. Pakistan’s selectors have omitted him from both the UAE tri-series and the Asia Cup, removing any clash of commitments and making the CPL move possible.
Patriots coach Simon Helmot said in a brief team statement, “Adding someone of Rizwan’s experience and professionalism can only help us. He scores quickly at the top, keeps tidy wickets and sets high standards in training.”
It is Rizwan’s first taste of the CPL and means he has now filled the Pakistan Cricket Board’s limit of two overseas leagues in any 12-month spell. Earlier this year the 32-year-old signed with Melbourne Renegades for the Big Bash League. “I’ve watched the CPL for years and always loved the atmosphere,” Rizwan noted when that deal became public. “If the chance ever came, I wanted to be part of it.”
The Patriots—champions in 2017 and 2021—need fresh impetus. A win in their opener has been followed by three defeats, leaving them second-bottom. Captain Evin Lewis admitted after the latest loss, “We’re searching for momentum. A player of Rizwan’s calibre could spark something.”
Rizwan joins fellow Pakistan internationals Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi in the Patriots camp; elsewhere in this year’s league Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Salman Irshad and, as announced earlier on Thursday, leg-spinner Usama Mir (Antigua & Barbuda Falcons) strengthen the tournament’s Pakistani presence.
The PCB’s two-league rule aims to balance player welfare with earning opportunities. Former selector Wasim Bari believes it is sensible. “Modern schedules are punishing. Two leagues plus national duty is a full plate,” he told Geo News. “Rizwan has chosen well—CPL conditions resemble some West Indies venues Pakistan will visit later.”
For the Patriots the equation is simple: four group matches remain, and at least three wins are probably required to reach the play-offs. If Rizwan settles quickly—his strike-rate in T20s sits above 127 and he has over 70 dismissals behind the stumps—the franchise’s season could yet revive.
